Arts & Entertainment
TV's Will Clinger and Famous Brothers at The Laughing Chameleon
Will Clinger is probably best known as the host of Wild Chicago, a TV program that looked at the offbeat side of the city and aired on WTTW/Channel 11, earning him 14 Midwest Emmys. You might also know him from TV appearances on shows such as ER and The Untouchables, or from any of his various stage and screen work.
I happen to know him as a friend, and I couldn’t help noticing his strong resemblance to Willie B. Famous, one third of the musical trio The Famous Brothers; the Brothers will be performing in the Glen at The Laughing Chameleon for one night only – Wednesday, April 25th at 8PM.
I suspected that, with his broad knowledge of Chicagoland entertainment, Will Clinger could shed some light and answer some questions I had about The Famous Brothers, and it turns out I was right.
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ME: Can you tell me a little bit about what we can expect from a Famous Brothers Show?
WILL: The Brothers are really as much a comedy act as a musical act, with songs like “I Got 20 Ways to Kill You With My Swiss Army Knife” and “Armageddin’ Ready for the Second Coming ‘Cause the First One Came Too Fast”. But they don’t skimp on the musical side, with tight 3-part harmonies in the style of O Brother, Where Art Thou.
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ME: I’ve heard these lyrics can really get a crowd laughing, just what do they sing about?
WILL: They sing about their own life experiences as a group of brothers growing up in Monkey’s Crevice, West Virginia, about the failed love of the various Brothers, none of whom seem to have much luck with women, and they even have a song about their great, great grand daddy in the Civil War, called “No Courage To Be Brave”.
ME: I understand The Famous Brothers have taken a hiatus from their monthly show in Chicago, The Honky-Tonk Hootenanny…
WILL: They’re taking some time off to start up a podcast of the Hootenanny and work on their second CD, tentatively titled ‘Born Famous’. In the meantime you can purchase their last CD, “Here Come The Famous Brothers”, and listen to any of their songs at Amazon MP3, Rhapsody, Napster, EMusic, and Lala.com. As Darren 2B Famous likes to say, ‘We appreciate when you spend your good money on our music. We then use that money for buying guitar strings, bus fare and whiskey – or, depending upon your level of generosity, a bus filled with whiskey.’
To find out more about The Famous Brothers and watch their latest music videos check out their website at www.famousbrothers.com. And don’t mis The Famous Brothers at The Laughing Chameleon on Wednesday, April 25th at 8PM. Tickets are already selling for just $10 in advance/ $12 at the door www.thelaughingchamelon.com Opening for them is the equally musically and comically talented Maria Wojciechowski.